This an interest concept when given a little thought - getting married means making a life time commitment to another person - something that requires rational thought and an intimate understanding of ones self.
This carries over into every day life when making decisions that effect your job and your future. You really don't have anything else that effects you personally. A live in guest can leave at any time, nothing is lost except time spent. You always knew, in the back of your mind, it wouldn't last for ever.
If you decide to make a run at life not having to answer to anyone, that is, not having to deal with someone with a different opinion that can effect the outcome of your proposal, you find your responsibilities are half of the married person, but at the same time, the rewards for sharing the responsibilities without a partner are zero. hmmmm
Interesting how that works - keep the faith.
(This is from the Heritage Foundation -)
Family and Religion.
The number of unmarried couples living together has surged to 6.4 million, up from just one million three decades ago.
“It used to be called ‘shacking up,’” Heritage Vice President Rebecca Hagelin writes on Townhall.com. “Now it’s just another lifestyle choice.” She points out that growing bodies of social science research reinforce what has been understood for millennia: marriage is the bedrock of society, providing a solid social foundation not just for the husband and wife but for their children as well.
“Society needs a critical mass of intact families to function effectively,” she concludes. “That’s why the debates about same-sex ‘marriage’ and cohabiting couples merit more than a shrug of the shoulders.” Find out more at Heritage’s FamilyFacts.org.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Re-thinking Cohabitation!
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are the new family role model as cohabitation becomes an American institution. While celebrities living together is nothing new, what is new is that it has gone mainstream, become widely accepted and wildly popular.
Years of condemnation appear to be backfiring as many cohabitating couples reject the guilt-laden attempts to discourage their living arrangement. Instead, most cohabiters fear a failed marriage even more than the criticism, so opt to live together despite the odds. Now over 60% of all couples who marry will cohabite first and rates of cohabitation will skyrocket since 75% of high school students believe living together is worthwhile and harmless.
Additionally, new studies show that the once negative stigma about cohabitation is changing which helps produce more extensive information about cohabiters and more sophisticated research methods. New findings from a Cornell study show that the odds of divorce among women who married their only cohabiting partner were 28% lower than among women who never cohabited before marriage. Other studies found that women who only cohabited with their husband had lower rates of divorce than women who went straight to marriage.
I think we must “reinvent” and raise our expectations of cohabitation, and our attitudes toward those who decide to live together. There is a commonly held myth that marriage means you will “live happily ever-after.” However, there is no similar assumption of cohabitation other than “it won’t last” which helps create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It’s time to take a serious and non-judgmental look at cohabitating couples of all ages and help them strengthen and sustain their relationship. Let’s consider finding a new approach to this reality.
John Curtis, Ph.D.
www.wecohabitate.com
Post a Comment